I Fell Asleep
by CelticCrossings
Summary: Just something that popped into my head...rated for possible future language use.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing…*sigh*

It was early morning when I finally fell asleep. I had not been sleeping well the past couple of nights and it was really beginning to wear on me. When Tony got into work this morning I had already been there since five that morning and I was very angry.

"Morning Zee, how are you doing?"

"Do not talk to me right now Tony if you value your life."

I said as I looked up from my paperwork and glared.

"I didn't give you permission to kill him Ziva. Just, deal with him."

"Fine, I will, deal."

"Hey, am I really so bad?"

I rolled my eyes and went back to my paperwork until Gibbs' told us to gear up. Reluctantly I stood and grabbed my pack and my gun.

"You sure you're up to this Zee? You don't look like you could lift a cup of coffee right now, let alone your pack."

"I will be fine Tony. I appreciate your concern but it is not necessary."

"That doesn't stop me from caring Ziva."

"Are you two done chatting so we can get some work done around here?" Gibbs asked.

"Yeah Boss."

When we got to the scene, McGee bagged and tagged and Tony volunteered for witness statements, which was odd considering the witness was almost an Anthony Dinozzo Sr. lookalike neighbor. As I was taking crime scene photos Gibbs pulled me aside and asked,

"You alright Ziver? Tony's right. You look terrible,"

"I am fine Gibbs."

"When's the last time you slept?"

"I am fine Gibbs."

"That isn't what I asked."

"It has been a few days."

"Grab Tony, have him drive you home."

"I am fine."

"Hey Boss, you need to see this." McGee exclaimed. He opened a closet door across the room from the body. The floor of the closet seemed off so I felt around and found a spring-loaded trap door. There were stairs that lead through a tunnel under the house. The tunnel ended at a large room filled with nonperishable food items, bottles of water, children's toys and books.

"What is this place?" Tony asked.

"A safety bunker, the victim was paranoid." McGee answered.

"My dad was not crazy," said a girl of about 17, "Dad knew that they were after him and Mom. He knew They were going to kill him so he made provisions."

"Who are They?" Gibbs asked.

"I don't know." She answered.

"What did the attackers take?"

"Nothing, Dad left it with me." She pulled out a flash drive and handed it to me as a little girl came up behind the teenager and grabbed a handful of the older girl's pants.

"How old is your little sister?" I asked as I bent down to greet her.

"Four."

"She's big for a four year old." Gibbs commented.

"She turns five next week."

"And how old are you?"

"I turn 18 next week. We share a birthday."

"Do you two know what happened upstairs?" I asked.

"Dad was shot twice in the back of the head. It was messy. We'll go up with you, but I'd rather Kaykay not see the body."

"I understand."

"Do you? Have you ever seen your Father's dead body?" The girl asked me scathingly.

"No I have not, but I have seen my mother's, my brother's and bits and pieces of my little sister's." I replied quietly.

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"Apology is a sign of weakness." Gibbs told her.

"Apology is a sign of the bigger man. That's what Dad always said." She retorted.

Gibbs raised his eyebrows at her but said nothing as we all proceeded through a back entrance we were shown. We came out towards the back of the house then went outside.

"What are yours and your sister's names?" I asked.

"I'm Abigail and this is Kayla. We, I, call her Kaykay as a nickname."

"When was your father attacked?"

"It was this morning around eight-ish. I'll give you this, you guys are efficient."

"Thank you. What about your mother?"

"What about her?"

"You said They were after both of your parents."

"Mom died in a car crash last year, drunk driver."

"Ah. Well, do you mind coming to the Navy Yard with us to continue these questions?"

"Sure."


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

We headed back to NCIS once Ducky had picked up the body and Gibbs left the children in my care. I had no idea what to do with them so I took them down to Abby.

"Hello Abby." I greeted. Once she was done squeezing the life out of me she noticed the children behind me.

"Oh! They're adorable Ziva where'd you find them?"

"At the crime scene, Gibbs has left them in my care but I haven't taken care of children since Tali."

"You're sister?" Abby and Abigail asked at the same time.

"Yes, my sister."

"What happened to her?" Abigail asked.

"When she was sixteen and I was twenty, she was at a café before classes. She was about to leave when a Hamas suicide bomber blew the café up. She was killed instantly. She was the only one of us with a good heart."

"But you're NCIS. You're good right?" Abigail asked again.

"I was not always an agent. When I came to America I had been raised as an assassin. I was my brother's control officer but it turned out that he was a double agent working for Hamas. Now he is dead."

"But it's not like you killed him or anything right?"

"Hey, so what are your names?" Abby interjected quickly.

"I'm Abigail and this is my little sister Kayla."

"Aw! You guys are so cute! How old are you?"

"We are seventeen and four respectively."

"Aw!" She exclaimed again as Gibbs walked into the lab.

"Abbs," he greeted and he came up next to me. "Go home Ziver. Take the girls and go home. Tony will be by later to check on you."

"Gibbs I am fine, I-."

"Ziva that's-."

"Are you going to order me?" I asked defiantly.

"I'm asking Ziver because I care. You need rest." I must have looked suspicious because he added, "go or I'll have Tony drive you to the doctor." I grimaced and nodded, and then I gathered the girls and headed home.

We had made it to my car before either of the girls spoke again.

"Agent David," Abigail asked, "How long are we staying with you? Are you going to call Child Services?"

"Not if I can help it Abigail. I have been in this country long enough to know that while the child care services mean well, they do not have to resources to care for the children they have let alone two more. You will stay with me until this case is over, and if you wish, until your eighteenth birthday. Afterwards the decisions for you and Kayla are up to you."

Abigail nodded in understanding. We passed most of the car ride in comfortable silence and I was on my best driving behavior while the girls were in the car. We got to my place and found that Kayla had fallen asleep. I showed Abigail the guest bedroom and once she put Kayla down and covered her up she joined me in the kitchen.

"Tea?" I offered.

"If you don't have coffee."

I reached up in the cupboard where I kept coffee for Tony and started the coffee maker and the water for my tea.

"How often does your partner come over?" Abigail asked with a smile.

I smiled back and said, "at least once a week after work. We eat or watch a movie. It just helps us escape from the violence and death we see every day."

"May I ask a personal question?"

I nodded as I turned off the stove and got my teabags.

"How did you go on after your mother and siblings died?"

"I did not have a choice. When my mother died I had to care for Tali. My father was a harsh man. We were not allowed to cry, we survived. Death was a part of everyday life. All the time someone we knew died. When Tali died I had already joined Mossad, I just took my anger out on the suicide missions I begged for. For all of the things I did after her death I should not be alive."

"What about when your brother died?"

"I grieved. It was the first time I let myself cry in a long time. My father had ordered me to kill him. I never forgave myself but now I think of all of the Tali's I saved. I told you Ari was a double agent yes? Well, my father had him undercover with Hamas but Ari joined Hamas and went against Mossad because he hated my father; our father had Ari's mother killed."

"Who would do something so awful?"

"The Deputy Director of an agency of assassins who felt he was losing his son. Are you tired?" I asked changing the subject.

"A little." She admitted.

"Would you rather take my bed or share with Kayla?"

"I'd be fine on the couch."

"My bed or Kayla's?" I insisted.

"Yours I guess, Kayla kicks in her sleep."

"Alright, if I'm not up when one of you wakes up then wake me."

"Will do, night Ziva. And, thank you." I smiled.

"Anytime Abigail."

I was dreaming, I knew that much. In this dream I was watching two little girls, well, one was not so little. We were in a park and they were playing. They were carefree and happy, a thing I had never been as a child. Next to me, stroking my hair was Tony. He kissed my forehead and said, "I'm here Zi, relax." I tried to tell him that I was relaxed, that I was at peace with him near but I could not speak. The stroking continued but quickly turned to shaking as in my dream a gunman came and shot the girls and Tony. I started screaming because I couldn't move to help them.

"Ziva!" Tony's voice yelled, pulling me from my nightmare. "Zi! Wake up!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**Kay so some of you are wondering things like "when did Tony get there?" etc, well, Ziva fell asleep (no pun intended) and had a nightmare in which Tony played a recurring role. Now Tony is there to wake Ziva up from her nightmare.**

"Ziva, wake up!"

"AH! Tony!"

"Zi! Calm down. Everything's is okay, tell me what's wrong?"

"You, girls, park, shot, dead."

"Hey, it's okay." He said as he took me into his arms. I was still shocked enough that I didn't protest his arms around my waist. "Everything will be okay. Abigail can you go make sure that Kayla is still asleep, it won't do to have her see a Ziva freak out."

"Can the nightmares get that bad?"

"Yeah, they can get pretty bad, now go please?"

Abigail didn't need to be told twice. She quickly left the room.

"Ziva, you're okay, alright? You're fine." I started breathing normally again.

"It is not me that I am worried about. It is the fact that in my nighthorse thingy I could not protect you all."

"It's called a nightmare Ziva. I swear you reverted after Somalia. And as far as not protecting us, I can look after myself just fine Zi."

"But the girls,"

"I can look after myself just fine Ziva; I can look after Kayla too." Abigail said as she walked in behind a now awake Kayla. "One of Dad's top ten rules was 'always carry a knife.'" She said as she revealed her waist holster.

"Smart man." Tony said.

"Only if they know how to use it." I said rationally.

Abigail promptly threw a knife in my wall and I smiled. "Well done."

"One of the first lessons I was taught. Kaykay's still too young. I plan on starting with her when she reaches six."

"A good plan, your father taught you well Abigail." I complimented.

"Yeah, he did." Abigail said solemnly.

"Abby I'm hungry. Can I have some sghetti?" Kayla asked her sister.

"You'll have to ask Ziva Kaykay. We're at her house remember?"

Kayla sobered a bit before replying. "Oh yeah. Ziva, can I have some sghetti?"

I looked at Tony as I didn't know what this "sghetti" was. Tony replied for me. "Sure Kiddo, you can have spaghetti, how about I make you some?"

"Yay!" Kayla cheered.

I sent a grateful smile in Tony's direction as he and Kayla went to make spaghetti although how they could be hungry was beyond me.

"Hey, Ziva?"

"Yes Abigail?"

"What was your nightmare about?"

I sighed. "It was about you Tony and Kayla. I could not protect you and all of you died."

"Why do you care about Kayla and I so much? We're just a case to you."

"I see a lot of myself in you Abigail, parts of that I am proud to admit and other parts I want to protect you from; in Kayla I see my sister Tali. She was so young and innocent, Fate did not treat her well. Promise me Abigail, no matter what happens you will always protect Kayla."

"Yeah, of course, I promise. Kaykay is my world now. Nothing could take her away from me."

I smiled ruefully, "That kind of thinking will later break your heart. Fate is not kind and I would hate to see it affect you the way that it had affected me. Don't let your father's death consume you Abigail. Focus all your energies on Kayla and keeping her safe."

Abigail nodded solemnly as we heard the mixed laughter of Tony and Kayla in my kitchen.

"He's good with kids." Abigial told me.

"Yes, I know."

"So do you like him?" She asked me.

"I do not know. I crave stability but, that is not something that Tony represents. He is always changing, chasing women, playing aroungd. I know he can be serious but it is as if he is afraid to be. I am serious enough for the bot hof us I guess."

"Interesting. What's gonna happen with Kaykay and I tomorrow?"

"Well, if you are up for it you can go to school, otherwise your principal will be notified that you are staying at NCIS for the day, your return to school, pending."

"If it's alright I'd like to send Kaykay to daycare, get back at least part of her routine. I would rather stay at NCIS but my AP American and Art History finals are coming up and I need to be in class."

"That is fine but if it gets to be to much just call me and I will come and get you." I promised.

"Thanks Ziva." Abigail replied as she smile and hugged me.

"Spaghetti's ready!" Tony called.

"We're good!" Abigail replied for us.

"Well Kaykay looks like more for us."

"YAY!"


	4. Chapter 4

**Alrighty everyone….I know this is an extremely disappointing update seeing as I am a terrible updater in every sense of the word anyway but I am writing this to tell you all that all of my stories will be on a temporary albeit probably lengthy hiatus. School is a nightmare and my anatomy class is trying to drive me mad. I just really need to concentrate right now and learn to manage my time but do not fear…as I am taking said hiatus I will be writing out the rest of all of my stories and getting whatever needs to be beta'd beta'd. So, I am sorry to disappoint but this needs to be done. I love you all my wonderful readers, I promise to return. **


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